Medical instruments, particularly, seed applicators, are used to implant radioactive seeds into a patient's body. Such seed applicators are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,909, which is expressly incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
Since the seeds are radioactive, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable cartridge or magazine for a seed applicator that is shielded to limit transmission of radioactive energy.
The seed applicator described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,909 is designed to implant seeds at spaced locations in a patient's body. The spacing of the seeds by the seed applicator is provided by selection and engagement of indentations on a barrel of the applicator with a ball plunger. It is also possible to provide the desired spacing between subsequent seeds by delivering and implanting absorbable spacers between seeds. It is an object of the present invention to provide a spacer magazine assembly configured and adapted for use in conjunction with such spacer and seed arrangement.